site.btaMedia Review: December 15

HEADLINES

The dismantling of the Soviet Army Monument in Sofia and its effect on the Bulgarian political stage dominate the print and online media on Friday. The topic is featured on the frontpages of Trud, 24 Chasa and Duma, and is the centre of discussions on the morning programmes of the Bulgarian National Television, bTV, and Nova TV.

The top story on the frontpage of Telegraph is about “the problems of mayors” and the headline reads that those are “roads and money”. The cover story of Capital weekly is on the 2023 United Nations Climate Conference COP28. The title reads “Greetings and oil from Dubai”.

PARTIES DISRUPT PARLIAMENT OVER SOVIET ARMY MONUMENT DISMANTLING / POLITICS

The process of dismantling parts of the Soviet Army Monument in downtown Sofia began on Tuesday. The determination of the local authorities to act caused an uproar and people and parties traditionally opposed to the plans for removal of the monument rushed to protect it. Bulgaria's Parliament cut short its plenary sitting on Wednesday because order in the debating chamber proved impossible to restore. The legislature was scheduled to convene next at 9 a.m. on Friday. Earlier in the day, MPs of the Vazrazhdane, BSP for Bulgaria and There Is Such a People (TISP) parliamentary groups on Wednesday disrupted the National Assembly plenary sitting after Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov called on the lawmakers to block access to the rostrum so as "to show clearly and categorically that they will never tolerate lawlessness and totalitarianism governing our country."

The main headline on the frontpage of Duma reads that the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), There Is Such a People (TISP) and Vazrazhdane have blocked Parliament. According to the subhead, the socialists demanded Sofia regional governor Vyara Todeva’s resignation after they were being denied access to the documents warranting the monument’s removal.

Trud writes on its frontpage that “the Soviet army” blocked Parliament. According to the subhead, BSP, TISP, and Vazrazhdane have given an ultimatum to the power-sharing majority. Trud also highlights Vice President Iliana Iotova’s support for the opposition and writes that according to culture ministry officials there is no decision for the monument’s “cutting”. Vazrazhdane municipal councillor Deyan Nikolov also said that there is no decision taken for the dismantling of the monument and stressed that such measures had be taken only after a referendum. He spoke on the morning programme of BNT.

24 Chasa quotes on it frontpage Sofia regional governor Vyara Todeva saying that the monument is being cut because that is how wit was initially installed in place, “the dismantling follows a safety plan”.

BNT reporters interviewed Dimitrovgrad municipal councillor Ivan Evlogiev on the idea for the relocation of the monument in the city bearing the name of communist politician Georgi Dimitrov. Evlogiev outlined the idea of the construction of a socialist art museum where the monument can be exhibited.

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Bulgarian MEP Radan Kanev commented on the morning programme of BNT on Bulgaria’s Schengen accession. His main takeaways were that joining the Schengen area is a tool, Bulgaria must complete its EU integration in order to integrate anywhere else, and the country should not be separated form Romania on its path to Schengen. Kanev stressed that accepting the conditions recently proposed by the Austrian side should be well-discussed with Romania and a decision should be a joint venture.

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Dimitar Markov from the Law Program of the Center for the Study of Democracy said in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) that the haste and the way constitutional amendments are being worked on create huge risks. According to him, a very large percentage of constitutional changes have come down to interpersonal conflicts. Markov said he saw "a political motive, something under the surface, for this rapid development of the process". He said that "we have a budget-Constitution battle, and a race against time”, and that one of the leading factors in this rush is to wrap it all up before the rotation between Prime Minister Nikоlаy Denkov and his Deputy Mariya Gabriel. He characterized Bulgaria as “an almost illegitimate country” where almost 90% of the regulatory bodies have expired terms of office. According to him, it will quickly become clear whether the changes in the Constitution were conjunctural in order to achieve a balance between the political forces in the regulators.

ECONOMY

The top story of Capital weekly on COP28 reads that the summit has reached a historical agreement for the decrease in fossil fuel use, yet the question still is whether words will become actions, so that carbon neutrality is reached by 2050. The weekly writes that Bulgaria has demonstrated in the UAE its achievements in industrial decarbonization and green energy.

A title on the front page of 24 Chasa reads that it is over with plastic wrapping if suitcases at the airports. The daily has dedicated two pages on recent green policy implantation in Europe and the world. Another highlight is the price increase of single-use plastic products as of January 2024.

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Trud writes on its frontpage that butter in Bulgaria is among the most expensive in the European Union and that food is pricier here than in France and Germany. The title reads that “Bulgaria beats Germany and France in terms of food prices”. The daily references Eurostat data, writing that milk, white cheese and eggs are 20% more expensive than in Germany and 36% more expensive compared to France. The article highlights that the average salary in Germany and France is EUR 2,870 and EUR 2,504 respectively and some EUR 701 in Bulgaria. The standard of life in Bulgaria remains the lowest in the EU.

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An article in 24 Chasa reads that high interest rates observed in the US and Europe will probably miss Bulgaria. The expectations of most bankers and financiers are that an increase here can be expected next year. But the world is already preparing to lower them, and it would seem devoid of economic logic to raise the Bulgarian ones, the daily writes. The article highlights words of Jerome Powell, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, who has said that inflation is falling from peak levels, and without a serious increase in unemployment, which, according to him, is very good news.

HOME AFFAIRS

Telegraph has interviewed the mayors of the municipalities of Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Montana, Dobrich, Ruse, Pazardzhik, among others, asking them what municipalities’ most major issues are. The daily highlights on its front page that mayors’ goals are to bring back young people to the smaller municipalities. Dimitrovgrad mayor Ivo Dimov says that funds are not enough for the ambitious projects of the local administration. He notes that the municipalities which do not receive EU funding under any programme are about 18. All officials highlight poor infrastructure and connectivity and the lack of funds to fix and upgrade roads.

HEALTHCARE

Chief State Health Inspector Angel Kunchev says on the front page of 24 Chasa that “type B influenza is here, put your masks on”. Kunchev says that the peak morbidity will be reached at the end of January or beginning of February next year. He advises the sick not to self-medicate and seek professional help.

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The Friday issue of Trud has three pages dedicated to healthcare. The topics include the introduction of new technology for joint endoprosthesis, tips on how to keep a stronger immune system, advertisement of a book in Bulgarian on the active sitting methods for improvement of bodily pains due to poor posture, a type of pneumonia observed in China, and a fundraiser for a child with autism.